With the start of December, the spirit of winter holidays usually fills Ukrainian cities, along with Christmas markets, festivals, decorations, and magic lights. One of the most dynamic and successful commercial imprints in the UK, Sphere aims to publish the highest-quality popular fiction and non-fiction, including thrillers, women's fiction, and celebrity titles.

The IRC has been providing integration support to refugees, under the RISE project , since January 2021. Christmas Eve, known as Svyat Vechir or Sviata Vecheria, falls on January 6th and is commemorated by a day of fasting (light snacking is permitted) to represent Mary’s journey to Bethlehem. Basil Divine Liturgy is held in parishes to mark the formal close of the Christmas Fast within the OCU and UGCC that began in November, which includes commemorations of the Holodomor of the 1930s, the liturgy follows a Christmas version of the Royal Hours. In some parts of Ukraine, shchedrivky are sung only on the Feast of Epiphany, the last holiday of the season. I, as a Romanian, was raised Orthodox, but I still found it very interesting because, despite being neighbours, some traditions are different, while others are similar.Christmas gifts were traditionally brought by Ded Moroz or Grandfather Frost, the Ukrainian counterpart of Saint Nicholas or Father Christmas, albeit a little taller and less stout. Hugely affecting, interesting and compelling with a visual and literary beauty, A Ukrainian Christmas would make a wonderful gift. On the Holy Evening, the table is traditionally served with 12 dishes, which symbolise the twelve apostles. Other Ukrainian Christmas attributes and traditions, such as gift-giving, Did Moroz's visits and Christmas decorations, lost their religious significance and became associated with New Year's celebrations, which were secular in nature. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.

On this day, people go to the church for Christmas prayer and come together within the family circle to visit relatives. There were thousands of Christmas trees in these markets and we decorated the Christmas tree together with the children, usually a week before the New Year. In a country where East and West meet, this is a fascinating and unmissable guide to capturing the spirit of one of the most important times of year and a powerful reminder of the strength of holding on to your culture and beliefs, even as others try to take everything from you.The festivities start with the appearance of the first star, though all preparations traditionally start from the very dawn. Before anyone starts to eat, the eldest family member recites a prayer as everyone stands at their place setting followed by a carol joined in by everyone. In Ukraine carols or ‘koliadky’ are the symbols of Christmas, and many children sing these carols to friends, family and neighbours in exchange for sweet gifts and tips. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

The publisher is making a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal on publication of A Ukrainian Christmas. We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from.

In Ukraine, Christmas celebrations traditionally start on Christmas Eve, which is celebrated from December 24 to January 6, the date of the celebration of the baptism of Jesus, known in Ukraine as Vodokhreshche or Yordan, according to the Gregorian calendar and Revised Julian calendar by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Catholic Church in Ukraine (including the Latin and Greek Catholics) and Ukrainian Protestants. Boys and girls prepare special songs and verses they take from house to house, entertaining their community in exchange for sweet gifts and tips. About a hundred parishes of the Romanian national minority in Ukraine, which are part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, have always celebrated Christmas on December 25 according to the Revised Julian calendar, just like the Romanian Orthodox Church.